Thursday, April 30, 2009

Fashion...made of chocolate...am I dreaming?! Each year Cadbury holds Cadbury Couture - a chocolate fashion show where they team up with ten Canadian fashion designers who combine their love for cocoa and couture to create some sensational ensembles - each constructed using Cadbury chocolate! Here are some of my faves from past shows. Ok, now I'm having a major chocolate craving...gotta go!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

So I finally found my outfit for Shayna's vintage circus wedding, and I'm so excited! I found this 1930s flapper dress at The Cat's Meow Couture , which is the most amazing vintage couture shop down at Avenue and Davenport, right by my favourite flower shops. I got it for $39 - what a steal! My grandma fixed up some of the beading that had fallen off, and now I've chosen my accessories and hair...what do you think so far?

And my hair like this:

And my super talented bloomin' cousin, Julia, who owns Frankly Fig, is going to make me a hairpiece like this, instead of a flower:

Also, Shayna just bought us a beautiful bracelet to match her own, which is also blue, and now just gotta find some shoes and a funky blue ribbon to tie around my waist!!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

What can I say, we are inspired by tiny jars of single flower blooms, all lined up in a single row. So pretty, so simple...looking. But, one thing it's important to realize before you decide to do it yourself: Coming from an event designer's perspective, achieving this look is not actually so simple and not as inexpensive as it looks! There is a lot of work that goes into making things looks simple, clean and adorable. Careful consideration has to go into choosing the right vases, the right sizes of the different vases, the spacing, the height of the cut flowers, the colours of the flowers and the colour of the decor on the tables to give it some punch, but not too much of an overbearing punch at the same time. And alot of the time, you'll also need to purchase a strong flower that makes the right statement, one that can stand alone in it's beauty - normally more expensive than just any old carnation or rose! Phew, that's a lot of work for something so pretty and simple...{Pic #1 from Martha Stewart, Pic #2 & 3 I can't remember...oops, Pic #4 from Freckgirl76's wedding on Flickr}

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Today we celebrated a small and intimate tea party for Shayna Bloomer's wedding! A friend, and fellow silks climber, Lynn, hosted a very small gathering at her gorgeous house. It was her idea to do a tea party, and it was the most fun I've had in a long while!! I don't have the pics of the day yet, but here's the inspirations leading up and a couple of flower centerpieces I made in old tea tins for the luncheon!! The tea cups above, in the awesome pics taken by Allie Sutton, belong to Lynn's mother-in-law - they were so pretty and deliciously mismatched!!

These were the colours that Lynn and I were going for...green, yellow, white and a touch of tea party pink!

For anyone who wants to do floral arrangements in old tea tins, just remember that old tea tins are antique and their seams are leaky!! More pics to come...

Friday, April 24, 2009

It's no secret that I have an obsession with minis. In fact I have my own collection of mini chairs. But when I saw these collectible miniature designer chairs I just knew...I love...I want...I need them! Based on iconic, classic chair designs like the Eames chair and the Barcelona chair, these little detailed minis are 1/12th the size of the real deal {they stand about 4-5 inches tall}...and are a lot more affordable!

It looks like all 6 volumes can be ordered here and I have a pilot friend based in Hong Kong on the lookout. Even if you don't like minis or you don't like chairs...these are still pretty fascinating, don't you think? {photos from BC Mini and Bahraini Diva}

Thursday, April 23, 2009

There is this marvy store on Queen Street called Commute Home. If you haven't checked it out you really really should. They take old, everyday things that you probably have in your garage and make them into the most amazing pieces of furniture. It always seems so obvious once I see it and I think "now why the heck didn't I think of that?!" And then I go home feeling kind of sorry for myself because their creativity puts me to shame.

The last time I went in they had hung three entwined black wires with those caged light bulbs you see in shady placesb. You know the kind you see in movie scenes with the mob? Well the way they were entwined and hung so low over a coffee table made it look like something you'd find in a posh lighting shop...but the joke is that it is just those caged light bulbs you never noticed in your mechanics garage!!

Here is the cool lighting fixture and plenty of other treats I found posted on their blog:

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

This season I may be a bit maple syrup obsessed. Maybe it's the pull of my Canadian roots or MAYBE it's because it's just so darn tasty! Whatever it is, I feel validated now that I saw Home & Country Magazine did a maple feature as well. Here's my problem with maple syrup and maple candies: I always want to give it as gifts to out-of-towners, but it always looks a little dowdy and rough in a clunky bottle, so I refrain! But look what I've stumbled upon in Toronto!! Holy smokes, my search for a nice high end tasty treat ended at Ninutik- their products look to me like art, their packaging is quite pleasing to my eyeballs, but more than anything...I can even imagine how sweet a maple sugar lolli bouquet would taste!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Dan did not like my idea that he should be the Ring Master at our vintage circus wedding and he didn't want to wear a top hat cause he has nice hair that shouldn't be covered {it's true!} but he did say he would be willing to wear suspenders and all-stars and he came up with this all on his own {yippeee!} And then...would you believe it?!... like two days later on Green Wedding Shoes blog I found these amazing pics of groomsmen wearing suspenders and all-stars! Dan approved and yesterday he bought himself some fantastic Jack Purcell Converse and this Saturday he is taking a shopping trip to Holt Renfrew to find a snazzy pair of John Varvatos pants with suspenders. I have butterflies just thinking of the cuteness!

Eat your heart out! I'm blown away by how cool these vertical wall gardens look. I wouldn't mind sharing my carbon dioxide with these little planties. {pics from Flora Grubb via A Lovely Morning - if you click on each picture, you can see it bigger}

Friday, April 17, 2009

Growing up, our mom had a friend named Linda who was a calligrapher. We would get birthday cards with the most stunning handwritten addresses on the envelope. And every Christmas Linda would create these incredible, custom- designed, calligraphed and illustrated calendars for her extended family that included important birthdays and occasions. I thought these were the most beautiful things I had ever seen! I begged my mom for a calligraphy set and lessons. I think I was 5 years old at the time and my mom had to remind me that I need to learn to print first...oh yeah...

Well eventually the time came and I got a new calligraphy set and Linda gave me a few wonderful lessons. Finally it was my turn to create a custom calendar for my family! So, at age 10 that is what I set out to do...see above for the result. Haha...I love the whited out 'S' where I tried to write '9'. Not bad for 10 years old though, I guess!

I still love calligraphy, and with everything designed and printed by computer these days, it's so refreshing and beautiful to see elegant handwriting in its inky goodness...a true artform! Check out some of these beauties. I am thinking that I might actually give it a go again and take a calligraphy course. There's no doubt that my mouse-shaped claw of a hand could use some exercise!

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all about the bloomers

Bloomerism is a blog by inBloom Event Design - an award-winning one-stop shop specializing in the design, decor and styling of all types of weddings and events. Sisters Joelle, Shayna, and Melanie Segal {also known as 'the Bloomers'} are the gurus of non-gaudy event design.
Not ones for sequins, fake ancient columns or frou-frou, the Bloomers thrive on design and decor that is fresh, clean and stylish.